Oct 14, 2011

Chocolate addicts are going to love me for this one! These cupcakes are super moist and delicious, and they are so easy to make.

I used a box of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix, a box of fat free instant chocolate pudding, a little water and some canned pumpkin. That's it! No oil, no butter, no eggs.

I've been perfecting these for weeks. My first experiments didn't include pumpkin; they were good, but I noticed no one in my house was eating them. When I asked why, they told me they were good, perfect for people on diets.... fail!! So I was on a mission to make low fat chocolate cupcakes my family would love, and here they are! Without the chocolate pudding, these are still very good, but the pudding just gives it that extra yum factor!

I used orange foil liners to give these a simple Halloween theme without too much effort. I also created some really cute Halloween cupcakes based on this base recipe. I will be posting those over the weekend. Not to create too much confusion, I am posting the chocolate glaze with this recipe, and the vanilla frosting will be posted on the next post. Both are equally yummy and a perfect solution for a low fat icing!

Oh now I have to go back out and get me some cake mix for these cause that is the only thing I don't have in my pantry right now. Thanks again for all these delicious recipes. I made your Pollo in Potacchio yesterday and today I am making the Turkey Pumpkin chili.

I am not kidding that I searched your site this week looking for a cupcake recipe. This is great!

As luck would have it, I'm having a play date this afternoon and I have a white cake mix and both vanilla and chocolate pudding mix. I'm tempted to use the chocolate pudding mix & just see how it comes out.

I will most certainly be trying these. I have made pumpkin cupcakes with a cake mix and a can of pumpkin only, and they are amazing. For a little added flavor, a little nutmeg and cinnamon. They stay moist and are only one point per cupcake! They're a delicious.

love pumpkin but i am also very curious to know what would you substitute for the pumpkin? apple sauce or chocolate sugar free pudding? and how much? i'm just guessing but would love an answer on what i can use besides pumpkin in this recipe? thanks.

Dear Gina -- If I didn't love you and your site before, I most definitely would now. Love it, love, love it. Thank you for keeping all of us on track with your invention and reinvention of all sorts of things that not only look and taste amazing but fit in the WW lifestyle. Chocolate cupcakes!!! You are a blessing. Deborah

I've been using applesauce as a substitute for oil for over 10 years. Always works, and NO one knows its in there! I keep individual cups of applesauce on hand for use, as it doesn't go bad! I love pumpkin, so I'll be trying this next! Thanks

Help, I made these and they stuck to the papers....ruined the presentation yet taste was super. I deviated from the directions in that I had a delay....had to run and get cc papers after recipe was completed. Anyone else with this problem?? LOVE your recipes Gina...thank you

I had the same problem with them sticking to the paper, With the first set I didn't let them sit for 15 mins before taking them out of the pan and thought that was the problem. However, I waited for the second batch and still had the same problem.

I love chocolate, and I love pumpkin. However, these tasted pretty bad to me. I guess I just don't like them together. I can DEFINITELY taste the pumpkin in them. Wish I couldn't. I'll try these with spice mix, vanilla pudding and pumpkin next time. I would love to have a chocolate cupcake recipe that didn't include pumpkin, but are as moist as these

These were very moist, but i can definitely taste the pumpkin too. I like pumpkin though so it's fine with me..My daughter liked them too. I also sprayed the wrapper with cooking spray before I put the mix in....

I just discovered your website and I am LOVING it already!!!! I am anxious to try these cupcakes. I made the Crockpot Sante Fe Chicken recipe yesterday, but used nonfat plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and loved it. Can't wait for my kids to try them both....keep up the great work!!!

Question: I made the cupcakes today and had to cook them for a long time (almost double the time mentioned) to get the toothpick to come out clean, but they are sticking to the cupcake liners as if they are overdone. Is there a chance that I did something wrong???

Hi Gina, I've been loving your recipes, but this is the first one that didn't work for me... I baked mine for 30 min and they still weren't done, they were super gooey and I had to toss them, so sad! I don't know what went wrong.

I LOVE using pudding mix, low fat sour cream, eggs (powdered eggs work too) and pureed black beans. You WILL NEVER KNOW the beans are in there but it makes the best moist chocolate and devil's food cake and so rich and chocolate tasting. I have done it with bundt cakes, cupcakes and a 3 layer birthday cake and everyone loves it. I have the recipe on my blog www.littlebeanfoodstorage.blogspot.com with nutritional information too..give it a try and tell me what you think!

For some reason my boyfriend and i liked these about 10 times better the day after. weird! So my advice is to make them the night before! really really yummy though! I prefer them without the icing, then they are almost brownie like :)

Gina, have you ever tried Devil's food cake mix, mixed with 1 cup of Greek yogurt, and one cup of water? My husband who hates anything diet or artificially sweetened couldn't taste a difference. It was a little more dense than regular, but really moist and yummy.

Gina - I made these last night and they are delicious. One thing I always do with chocolate batter is add a packet of instant espresso or coffee. It's a Barefoot Contessa tid-bit and it really does bring out the flavor of chocolate without tasting like coffee. Love your blog! So many great recipes.

I love all your cake/cupcake ideas but I won't use boxed cake mixes. Do you have a basic scratch recipe you could recommend? I looked a little bit on the site but couldn't find one right away. I thought you might know off the top of your head.

I love all the recipes I've tried from your site! Your pasta fagoili soup is pretty much a staple in our house, even more so that it's getting chilly outside!

Love all your ideas!! I agree, I like them with the icing, adds sweetness cupcakes should have. The espresso is a great idea, I'll try that next time. I'm actually planning on experimenting with choc cake, Greek yogurt and pudding to see how they turn out.

Daphne, I don't have one posted, whenever I test, I also test from scratch and the box always wins. LOL But my Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins are so good, I would totally eat them as cupcakes (made from scratch)!

These turned out great! I made them for my son's end of season soccer game party and just piped their team number "8" on top in white. They look wonderful and taste great. I don't think these 7yr. old boys will know that they're actually eating a "healthy" cupcake! Thanks Gina!

I just made these last night and they are super moist and yummy!!! I wasn't crazy about the frosting - mostly because I thought the cupcakes can stand on their own. Thanks so much for posting these...hoping to whip some more up to pass out at next week's ww meeting :)

I love your posts. I've made your Baked Potato Soup, Southwestern Black Bean Salad, Southwest Grilled Chicken, Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili and the Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce and it's the best meals I've ever made. My husband loves the taste and the fact that we are still eating healthy. He's amazed that the calorie intake is so low! Thank you for the great ideas. I can't wait to try the cupcakes. Do you have any recipes for cake balls?

Hey! I am planning on making this for my sisters birthday this weekend. Wanted to make it into a cake instead would you prefer any different way for going about it? And does it taste very pumpkin(ie), i wanted to make it into a chocolate raspberry cake. Let me know. Thank you!!!!

I made these and they were yummy. I did have an issue with them falling into the middle (like a soufle) so they weren't as pretty as yours. Did I do something wrong? Regardless they still tasted great!

So I accidentally bought brownie mix instead of cake mix and realized it after I mixed everything up. I just put it in a brownie pan and am waiting on the results now....I may or may not have messed up big time!

I made these exactly as written and brought them to my sister's house for our family dinner. I didn't mention that they had pumpkin in them. Everyone, including the 16 year old chocoholic son gobbled them up and grabbed seconds...then I revealed the secret. They want me to make more! Thank you Gina!

I made these AND your regular pumpkin cupcakes for my first dinner party! Everyone loved them! I also made your pumpkin deep (finding a common theme?)and that was probably the biggest hit! It was so fluffy and light. I've told all my girlfriends about your blog and that they shouldn't feel TOO guilty in indulging in the treats since they were "skinny-fied!" I look forward to your next tasty recipe!-Sam

I just made these and they are awesome! But, I didn't really like the glaze, just not for me, hubby didn't like it either......so searching in my pantry to find something else to top them with....looked at the peanut butter and decided to give it a try...I know it sounds gross, but it's so good! It tastes like a peanut butter cup!! YUM!!! Thanks for another amazing recipe Gina! :)

These cupcakes were sooo moist and very delicious! My boyfriend hates pumpkin and he loved these...didn't even know it was in there :) I topped them with raspberries and glazed on top of that and it was really yummy!

I made these last night and I have to say I did not like them. I love pumpkin and I love chocolate so was really looking forward to these but they did not make the cut. I love your recipes but I have to say this was not one of my favorites :(

Candy says: Soooo mad at myself right now!!! I couldn't understand why these cupcakes had a fudgy type center?? I thought maybe it was because of the pudding mix...but NOOOOOO...silly me used a WHOLE CAN of pumpkin puree instead of just 1 cup!!! AAGGGHH!!! Was gonna take these to show off at work my great 2 point cupcake find! ugh....

Gina -- I just baked a batch of these and they are superb! I used a triple chocolate fudge cake mix (not sure what the triple was although it had little chocolate chips) as that is what I had. For those of you who think you won't like this because you don't like pumpkin, you really can't taste it. I smelled it when I was mixing them, but can't taste the pumpkin at all. Haven't glazed them yet, not sure I will glaze all of them, but they are wonderful. Thank you Gina.

These are great...I made them this morning and taste even better after sitting for a few hours. I did, however, add additional water than the recipe called for, because my batter was not looking as "shiny" as the batter shown in the pictures. I added a little bit at a time until it looked right. I also only baked them for the minimum baking time and they came out great!!

I would love to see if these can be made with something other than pumpkin. I personally LOVE it, but my dear husband has an allergic reaction to anything with pumpkin in it; severe acid re-flux. I wonder if butternut squash puree would work?

I made these today and they are delicious! However, I made my own 0 point frosting to put on top! I mixed an 8oz container of fat free coolwhip with fat free/sugar free chocolate instand pudding!! I love this website..I have a huge sweet tooth and I love that I can find healthy alternatives of some of my favorite desserts..Im going to test these on my boyfriend and see if he likes them without telling him how healthy they are! :)

Oh heavens... I will start by saying I'm not the best at following recipes. I usually read, dump, stir, bake. The KEY for this recipe lies in the beating togehter of ingredients, I think. I did NOT do that and they turned out lumpy and bumpy and ugly. They taste great, which is a bonus, but they are definitely not cupcakes to share with others....

I made these using applesauce instead of pumpkin (also 1 cup) and they came out really good and moist (as the recipe's title suggests).Also, as others here say - you have amazing recipes and your blog is beautiful, so thank you!

I made these yesterday for a house warming party...they were such a hit! I made a whipped cream frosting (one container of fat free whipped cream and 6 oz coffee flavored yogurt)- went very well together!!

SO SO SO SO GOOOD! I just make this recipe. My husband loved it. The only think is that I think my cupcakes are bigger because it only made 14 cupcakes. But still they are really good. My daughter loved them. I use fat free cool whip as a frosting.

I made these cupcakes for a party this weekend. I couldn't get the icing to look as good as yours but these cupcakes are so good! I also made your buffalo chicken dip to take along and that was a big hit too! Thank you!

GINA! You've done it again! I ended up making a cake out of it instead and baked for 5 minutes longer and it turned out PERFECTLY!! I can't wait to make this recipe as cupcakes... just amazing. I love everything you come up with. You prove that food doesn't have to have all of the calories and fat just to taste good.

I made these for my family and for the most part they liked them. They are extremely moist without tasting like pumpkin, but all I could taste was the sugar free pudding. There's something about artificial sweeteners in baked goods that always messes it up for me. If that doesn't bother you, then you will love these.

Gina I just made these a few minutes ago and just ate my first cupcake with the frosting...OMG I almost died and went to heaven!! I can't believe how non-diet tasting it is! By far the moistest cupcake I've ever made and you can't even taste the pumpkin in it (I was afraid it would taste too pumpkin-y). My picky eater boyfriend put his seal of approval on it! I made an actual pumpkin version with white cake mix, 1 tsp of pumpkin spice (Trader Joe's is really good), vanilla jello, pumpkin, and orange food coloring to make the color more intense. I'll let you know how it works out, it's in the oven right now. Thanks so much! Honestly I don't know how I can live without your site. I also always bring my baked goods to work and they can never tell it's skinny-fied recipes until I tell them!

I just made these, and I couldn't figure out why they were cooking so long nor why I had so many. Silly me put in the WHOLE can of pumpkin instead of 1 cup! lol I gotta say though: even with them being very gooey and not very pretty, the taste is pretty good! Definitely going to try them again, following the directions correctly next time!!

I made these this morning but with vanilla pudding mix and spice cake mix. They are pretty good, the texture is moister than cake is but still good. I don't think they taste super-pumpkiny either, though I like pumpkin.

I did notice just before I made them that my box of pudding was 1.0 ounce not 1.4 ounces as indicated in the recipe. Maybe some of you who are having problems didn't have the right box of pudding? just a thought.

I used 2- 9" rounds for my cake and it was wonderful... I might try what someone else did with the lefover pudding mix and fat free whipped cream for frosting next time- just to mix it up a bit. So good!

These cupcakes were absolutely DELICIOUS! My husband was laughing at me when I was making them because he saw the pumpkin and was saying they were going to be horrible...WELL he couldn't get enough of them and even brought them to work and they were gone within a few minutes. Everyone was talking about how moist they were. I just LOVE your website!!!!

I followed the recipe as written and the cupcakes came out gummy and pasty. They felt very light in my hand and looked really good. When I put it in my mouth it felt like the cake was a bit undercooked (and I cooked it for a few extra minutes than what the directions said). Once the cake hit my tongue I had a gooey and pasty texture in my mouth. Unfortunately I threw the entire batch out as I couldn't give these to other people to eat. The flavor was ok. I didn't taste the pumpkin which is good. If anyone else has made these, please let me know how it turned out for you.

I had a similar problem. They were so moist I kept putting them back in the oven for 3 min at a time...at least 12 or 15 min extra! They sunk in the middle and were still very gooey. I thought maybe I over mixed them, not sure. Gina, I have heard people make a similar recipe with the whole can of pumpkin, no water. Have you ever tried that, is there a difference? I plan on trying it again and see what happens.

I couldn't help but come on here and thank you for such a terrific recipe!!! My entire family enjoyed these cupcakes!!! They were to die for!! We have a Girls Night In soon, and I'm making these. I'm going to try to add a little peppermint extract to see if I can whip up a yummy minty/chocolatey cupcake!!!

These were delightful! Mine must have been huge because the recipe only made 14:-) I also tried with vanilla cake mix and added some ground clove, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon - BANGIN! Thanks for the recipe!

These are perfect for helping the chocolate cravings. I made these for my friend's birthday and they were a big hit at home and in the office. She loved that she was able to enjoy something chocolately for her birthday without breaking her points bank. Thanks!

I must have done something wrong with these, because everyone is raving but mine didn't turn out very tasty. I followed the recipe exactly, although I had to bake them about 5 more minutes like others said. The flavor was just ... odd and kind of turned my stomach to be honest. The texture was a bit spongy on the outside and too moist, almost undercooked, in the middle. So sad! :(

Gina - Yes and yes! I double checked both those things. I was thinking maybe I packed my pumpkin too tightly in the cup measure, ending up with more pumpkin than necessary? Oh, well - you win some, you lose some!

Oh my gosh Gina these are delicious! :). It made 24 real nice cupcakes. Thank you so much. I like to take a spice cake mix and add a 15 oz cam of pumpkin. Mix together and put in a sprayed 9x13 pan @ 350 for 28 min. Is wonderful plain or cool whip on top. My family loves it and is very moist. Thanks again really appreciate you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Gina- AMAZING and so easy! Nobody knew that they were low fat or low points and we were still able to indulge! Thanks!! Have you ever tried substitutions for the boxes of brownie or cookie mix? Would love to try to make some of those as well but not sure what to eliminate and what to add in.....

Gina - A note for you. I made these in October and they were great. My 17-year-old wrestler son asked me to make them for his team to take on a 3-day tournament so I did a double batch. I also went to the first two days of the tournament (there is only so much noise and smelly gym I could take) and to a boy, each and every one of them came up to me and thanked me for the cupcakes, saying they were "great," "fantastic," "really, really good." They were all surprised when I told them about the "mystery" ingredient and very happy when I told them there was no added fat and not much in way of extra sugar - just in the bit of glaze. Even the boys that were near their allowed weight were able to eat them. My son calls them the "anti-dessert" and as a co-chocoholic, says they are the best. Just wanted you to know.

I made these yesterday & they are soooo good! Me & my husband started weight watchers at the beginning of this year & our weakest time is late at night when we are craving sweets. This definitely hits the spot & they are much more satisfying, tastier & cheaper than those little bitty 2" snack bars they sell. This has definitely helped to keep us on track. I made a double batch :)

I have used this set-up with spice cake, but I have a chocolate tooth... so I made these for myself yesterday, but my two year old (super picky eater!) wouldn't stop scooting her chair over to the counter to eat my "baby chocolate muffins" (I used a mini muffin pan). Needless to say, these are winners. I will definitely be using this again and again! Thank you!

I came on tonight with the same question as Jill. My b'day is this weekend and instead of a bakery cake I'm thinking of having hubby make this as a sheet cake. I loved the cupcakes, although they were a bit dense or pasty in the middle, but that didn't bother us. But for a sheet cake? I don't want to have a yucky under done birthday cake. Know what I mean?

I just made these for a thrird time and they are fabulous. I tried a different icing idea this time. Just put a marshmallow on top 5 minutes before they are done, it will melt and be delicious and your cupcakes are iced when you take them out of the oven :)

I made these yesterday as a trial run for cupcakes for Valentines Day. These were delicious, didn't even need frosting, but they don't rise enough for the purpose I need for my Vday ones. Wondering if adding egg would make them rise more? I think I'll try the diet soda ones as well to see if that will work out better. Brought these to work and no one could taste the pumpkin! We're going to try it with vanilla later on this week.

Made these cupcakes yesterday and they're delicious! They're very fudgey (much more so than a normal cupcake) but they totally satisfy a chocolate craving!

One question for you: I'd like to try to make these again with a gluten free cake mix (my friend is celiac and was dying of jealousy when she saw these!), any clue if that would just be a complete fail? Thanks!

Love this recipe! I was worried after reading some of the comments but followed the ingredients and directions to a "T" and they came out great. And my family loves them too! Even my husband who says all cupcakes are dry. These were a complete hit and easy to make. Can't wait to make them again and share!

Used this recipe as a base but instead did a Spice cake mix and a cup of applesauce with fat-free/sugar-free instant vanilla.....they are scrumptious! I swear they taste better than the sugar-filled frosted ones! Thank you so much for creating these! Two Thumbs Up!

Mine are in the oven now! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes, including the WW pts and nutritional information is an invaluable service. I love your recipes and you have given me hope to succeed with weight watchers!!

I made these tonight and they were great! Now that I am reading the comments, looks like I might have misread the 1 cup of pumpkin for 1 can, but mine were not pasty at all, maybe b/c I actually put them into the mini cupcake pans (I just prefer bite sized, especially for my toddler). I did make the chocolate drizzle, but just stumbled upon the brand new white chocolate cream cheese and that was just heavenly. Not making them for WW points, so did not care about those extra calories...on a mini cupcake, it was worth it! Thanks Gina for all of your recipes, making my life so much easier! Nikki Y

Just made these again for the...... I have no idea how many times it's been.... they are that good!!! LOL my boys love them!! Thanks Gina, you are the best! I can give my boys a chocolatey dessert that I can eat too!!! :)

I made these cupcakes this weekend and was pretty impressed. When my husband first tried one, he was slightly disappointed because he was expecting a rich, chocolatly cake but, the following day I sent them in his lunch and he said forget what he said the day before they were fantastic. They were very dense, moist and great with coffee. To me they are almost like a brownie and are really good plus my kids love them. I try to limit sweets with my kids (and go for fruits and yogurt) but I dont' mind them eating one of these cupcakes for a special treat!

I've made these twice now, and just love them. First time I brought them to work for a friend who's doing WW with a little topper that read "I'm only 3 points!"; everyone thought they were really good. I made only half the glaze chocolate, and the other half got raspberry extract and a couple of real raspberries mixed in - they all got a tiny skewer of raspberries on top (she had recently told me how much she loves the raspberry /chocolate combo). Even the slightly crabby, bluntly honest British guy at work declared them "effing good, mate", ha! Today I made them with leftover baked sweet potato (whole fresh, not canned) and I might like them even better. Longest post ever, but just had to tell you how awesome this is, even slightly tweaked!

I just finished baking a batch and they look aweful! I baked them for 30 minutes and still the bottom of the toothpick would come out wet. After cooling them as stated, the centers fell and cracked. I followed the recipe exactly; any ideas as to what happened?

I wasn't expecting them to look so odd when they came out. A little warning on that would have been nice. I also had to cook mine for over 30 minutes to get them done. Still undecided on the taste. They aren't bad, but I can definitely tell that there is no egg in it.

Made these last night. Made 24, but am not impressed. Cooked for almost an HOUR and the toothpicks did not come out clean, so I gave up and now have nearly cooked cupcakes that stuck like crazy to the liners, and fell apart when trying to remove the liner. I guess the point of them being MOIST was very true, hmph.

These cupcakes are a huge hit at my office. A lot of us are on WW and having a treat that is low in points really made them smile. Thanks Gina for the great recipe for those of that are chocolate lovers but are trying to watch our points!!

Have made these a couple times now and LOVE them! After beating the first batch by hand, I found my hand mixer, and thought it made a huge difference in the texture. I didn't use liners either time, and instead sprayed the muffin tins with cooking spray. I've never understood what was meant by "until the toothpick comes out clean" so I just cooked them for 25 minutes or so, and they seemed fine.

I'd like to experiment with adding PB2 and chocolate protein powder to them to turn them into chocolate peanut butter breakfast muffins, but I'm not sure whether to substitute the powders for some of the cake mix, or keep all the cake mix and increase the pumpkin and water. Any thoughts?

For everyone saying that the cook time is way too long, you clearly have done something wrong, as I have made the recipes numerous time and they never took more than 25 minutes to bake! Are you sure you picked the canned pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling?

Hello Gina. I am getting ready to make these and noticed at the store that the size of the ounces on the box of cake is now 16.5oz. This may be why people are having issues with the middle not seeming done. I have bought these items and would hate to return them. Do you recommend just adding more flour to the mix and see if that works? Thanks in advance!

Gina - My son requested this recipe as a cake for his birthday so I did. I made it in 3 9" pans and after they came out, didn't hold out much hope. Really skinny layers. Bumpy tops (I didn't smooth them thinking they would sort of melt and smooth out like regular cake mix does). I went ahead and frosted it with ganache (not WW friendly but really, really good). It was sensational. Dense, chocolatey, beautiful. It was the least crumbly cake I have ever made. So, I've made this now in cupcake form and as a cake. A definite keeper and thank you again. Deborah

Was SUPER excited about this recipe - I love baking and have recently started the "calorie watch" so this was an awesome find. I swear I read the recipe 5 times to figure out what size of can of pumpkin I needed, and never once did I see "1 cup" (It has been a "face, meet palm!" kinda day). Needless to say, I used 15oz of pumpkin, and while they are definitely pumpkiny, you bet I'll eat them anyway because they're now chocolate-pumpkin. And I followed the advice on spraying the liners with cooking spray - don't skip that step!

For the people who have said these take way longer to cook - are you adding just a cup of pumpkin, or the whole can? I almost made that mistake, and I can see how that would increase the time needed to cook.